This invention relates generally to the art of clamps, and more specifically to a clamp assembly for attaching optical and illumination accessories, designated below as optical devices, on eyeglasses, as desired.
Attachments of the type mentioned above, for example, binocular magnifiers, ophthalmoscopes, lamps for coaxial and direct illumination, as well as combinations of these attachments, are either fixedly mounted on eyeglass frames or can be mounted thereon by means of plug-in apparatus fixedly attached to the eyeglass frames.
Because of mechanical demands for sturdiness, and affixing possibilities for attachment or plug-in apparatus, only particular, sturdy eyeglass frames are suitable for this purpose. The limited choice--often only one model is offered by manufacturers of optical or illumination attachments - requires a compromise with wearing comfort because it is often necessary to wear them for a long time. However, a comfortable seating of eyeglasses is very important. Also, cosmetic considerations can limit the use of such devices on eyeglasses.
Eyeglass carriers must, additionally, be useable on particular eyeglass frames for particular correction lenses, whereby production costs could be increased tremendously.
German Patent DE-PS 1 097 716 discloses an eyeglass shade with light-beam-dimming (shading) panes (or light-transmissive shields). This shade has a clamp assembly with two levers linked at middle areas thereof with first ends thereof closing together to form clamping jaws and second, opposite, ends thereof formed as opening grips for separating the clamping jaws, which are spring loaded toward one another. The clamping jaws are in the form of forks with branches of the forks being formed so that ends of the branches of each fork are spaced from one another to extend across a bridge of a pair of eyeglasses to be mounted, or placed on, the eyeglasses at inner, upper edges of lenses thereof or on an eyeglass frame. Because the clamp assembly and shading panes are unreleasably attached to one another the shading panes cannot be replaced by other attachments.
A similar construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,523.
It is an object of this invention to provide a clamp assembly for being mounted on any desired eyeglass frames and for releasably engaging optical devices of various types to the eyeglass frames for allowing various types of examination apparatus to be mounted on eyeglass frames.